MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Briton Henry Patten fought back from a set down to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title on Sunday, defeating Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-7(16) 7-6(5) 6-3.
The victory gave Heliovaara and Patten their second Grand Slam crown after they triumphed at Wimbledon last year, while for the Italians it was more heartbreak after losing both the Australian and the French Open finals last year.
“Could I have done it without you, Henry? I don’t think so,” Heliovaara said.
“In a team sport, doubles, the most important thing is to find yourself a good partner and I’ve succeeded in that pretty well, not only on the tennis court but outside the court we’re such good friends.
“And I think that’s what keeps us close together on the tennis court and brings us titles like this, super thankful.”
The Italian third seeds started strongly, breaking serve in the opening game, and after failing to serve out the first set at 5-4 they prevailed in a thrilling tiebreak to win an 87-minute opening set.
Sixth seeds Heliovaara and Patten came out on top in a much shorter tiebreaker to force a third set, and after an early break allowed them take a 3-0 lead, they saved three break points to hold serve and win after over three hours on court.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
Comments